Historic Armidale Court House to celebrate its 150th with judicial splendor
Monday 23rd August 2010
Local Magistrate Mark Richardson with Member for Northern Tablelands outside Armidale’s historic Court House.
Member for Northern Tablelands and Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly Richard Torbay, UNE Vice-Chancellor Professor Jim Barber, Mayor Cr Peter Ducat, three local magistrates and other members of the legal profession in their official robes will join the ceremony on September 6.
Supreme Court Judge Stephen Rothman will attend and Acting Chief Magistrate Jane Motley will preside over the ceremony to be held at the Court House, just one day ahead of its opening 150 years ago on September 7, 1860.
“The Armidale Court House is one of the oldest and most historic in the state,” Mr Torbay said. “It is a defining building in the city and replaced the first slab walled court house established by Commissioner George McDonald in 1839.
“It is very fitting that we celebrate this grand old building, still in mint condition, at a time when plans are under way to construct a new $15 million court house to meet the contemporary demands of the Supreme Court, District Court, Industrial Relations Commission, Land and Environment Court, the Local Court and state tribunals. It will also provide improved facilities for court users and better security arrangements. The issue now in question is to find the best community use for our magnificent old Court House when its replacement is built.”
Lobbying to established an Assizes Court in Armidale came to a head in 1856 with a petition signed by 1500 citizens to the Legislative Assembly By 1859 tenders had been called and the building was completed in just 10 months at a cost of £3,250.
Just over 11 years later, in 1870 it was decided the building should have its façade in Beardy Street, rather than to the north as it had been originally built. A further £1,200 was spent creating the additions to the east and west wings on Beardy Street with the new portico and its fluted columns, the wrought iron gates and the clock tower added by 1878. A large dormitory room, new jury room and new judges’ chambers, all with marble fire places, were also added to the rear of the building. Since the end of the 19th century the building with its furniture and fittings has remained virtually unchanged.
TIME CAPSULE
In 1870 during construction work at the Armidale Court House, Clerk of Petty Sessions Sydney Blythe slipped a message for posterity into a cognac bottle and stored it under the floor boards. It was not discovered until 100 years later and caused quite a stir at the time. The message reads
. “This piece of parchment is this day placed in a bottle and sealed by me and the bottle placed under the flooring of one of the rooms of the Court House Armidale during the repairs to the said Court House. If ever in ages to come this bottle is found I wish to record that Armidale is a town of about 800 inhabitants, that it has a Municipal Council, that the railway has progressed as far as Aberdeen, that James Buchanan Esq is Police Magistrate and also that I the undersigned am Clerk of Petty Sessions Land Agent and Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages for the district – I have no hesitation in stating that the World is a stage and all the Men and Women merely players.
Can the men who find this drink their twelve glasses of grog in a day – I doubt it – We can. The name of my son is Edward Vyner- Louis Napoleon is kicked out of France by the Germans and Paris we hear is bombarded.
My friends whoever you may be who find this, rest assured that the world has wagged before your time and it will after your time and that nothing is certain but Death.
For and behalf of my numerous creditors Sydney Blythe